Tom Brady-Raiders Freeze-Out Set to Be Ended by NFL Owners: Report

Getty Mark Davis of the Raiders (left) and Tom Brady

For nearly a year, NFL owners have kept the greatest quarterback in league history frozen out of his potential investment in the Raiders, suggesting that the purchase price he laid out for about a 10% stake in the franchise did not reflect the true value of the team, and that he needed to add more capital. Now, though, it appears that a Tom Brady-Raiders partnership is finally ready to move forward.

That’s the report on Sunday morning from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, who say that the transaction landing Brady a spot as an NFL owner—albeit a minor owner compared to his friend and the team’s primary owner, Mark Davis—should be approved next month at the NFL’s owner meeting and put into place later in March.

“The plan is for the NFL’s Finance Committee to consider Brady’s investment on March 4 or 5 when members meet in New York, sources say. If all goes well, final approval should happen at the NFL Annual League Meeting in Orlando from March 24-27,” the pair reported. “A league spokesman said on Saturday that the ‘matter remains under review by the finance committee.’”

Discount on Purchase Price Was Too Steep for NFL

Originally, the notion of Brady buying his way into the Raiders came to light in May 2023, but for months now, the NFL has kept him out. The major stumbling block on a sale of a stake in the Raiders has been the price that Davis was asking Brady to pay.

Because other NFL owners want to maintain the high value of their franchises, they do not want shares in other teams sold at steep discounts. And because NFL owners must vote to approve stake sales by a three-fourths margin, they continued to swat away the Raiders-Brady marriage.

In October, the Washington Post reported that the stake Brady and his investment partner, Tom Wagner, were attempting to buy was coming at a discount of, “as much as approximately 70%.” The Raiders are valued at $6.2 billion by Forbes, and $5.7 billion by Sportico. Valuations do not include debt.

As Colts owner Jim Irsay told the Boston Globe in October, “We’re trying to work it through. The number just has to be a reasonable number for purchase price from Tom, is the only thing. If reasonable value says … that 10 percent should be $525 million, you can’t pay $175 million.”

Brady already has purchased a share of the WNBA team that Davis owns, the Las Vegas Aces.

Would Tom Brady-Raiders Pairing Affect Fox Job?

One side issue that remains unresolved—though, presumably, it will have been worked out among the owners before approval of a Brady purchase—is what Brady’s role will be as a combination owner/broadcaster. Brady will begin a 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox Sports starting next season.

Typically, broadcasters meet with players and coaches before games and often have detailed and private discussions about strategy and issues within the teams. That would be an obvious advantage for the Raiders both in terms of putting together gameplans against opponents, and in terms of potential tampering with free agents or trade targets.

Assuming Brady’s deal goes through, the sports business site Sportico pointed out how exceptional it would be.

“If Brady’s deal is ratified, it would be an NFL rarity,” the site wrote. “Brady would become perhaps the third person to play in the league and then join its ownership ranks in a meaningful way, joining late Chicago Bears owner George Halas, who played in the 1920s, and late Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, who made his NFL debut in the 1950s.”